Thanksgiving
by idioticonion
Summary: What if Robin had slapped Barney? AU of 5.09 Slapsgiving 2


**Thanksgiving**

She hit him.

It wasn't so much a slap as a half-punch, and Barney staggered back, clutching his jaw.

"Robin!" Lily said, half in shock.

Then there was a heavy silence, weighted down, as if all the lightness and air of the slap-bet had been let out of the room and they were suffocating together. Ted looked from one to the other, from Barney, bent over, groaning, to Robin, her hand still half raised.

Barney's eyes were locked on Robin's, for an instant, full of betrayal. Ted shook his head. He thought the two of them were good. Well, maybe not _good_. They'd just broken up, after all. But the eagerness that Robin had taken that slap, the pain he could now see in Barney's eyes...? Ted had no idea it was that bad.

In the silence, in the new weight of things, Robin turned and left. Just walked out of the apartment, not even shutting the door behind her. Barney staggered into the kitchen and Lily followed him. Ted, Marshall and Mitch exchanged looks.

So much for the slapping throne.

--

**Black Friday**

Barney was bruised. He's obviously tried to cover it up - both physically (and yeah, Barney was usually so adept at the makeup and disguises, but this time the blue-black showed through) and emotionally. Robin hadn't showed up - it wasn't unusual due to her crazy work schedule and the whole "I've just split with my boyfriend" thing, but even so.

Ted was kind of expecting an apology.

After Robin had left, the dinner had gone ahead in silence. Marshall told him later that Lily and her Dad had stayed up half the night talking and that at least some good had come out of everything. The warmth of human connection had been fanned and Marshall gave thanks for that.

There was a frosty edge to Barney today.

The slap-bet... it had seemed such an awesome idea. Slapping Barney was always fun. When had it become so serious?

Lily and her Dad hit the sales. Apparently Mickey had promised to buy her something as a thank-you for dinner. Ted couldn't help but smile. Mickey wouldn't know what had hit him.

--

**Saturday**

Ted managed to catch Robin just as she emerged from her bedroom, Saturday afternoon. Even though it was only 3pm, the sky was already gray and dark. Robin glowered at him.

There was a cough from the bedroom. A male cough.

"Wow... did you guys hook up again?" Ted asked her, not sure what he should be feeling.

"What?" Robin asked, irritably, as she pushed past him on her way to the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks and whirled around. "Hold on there. You mean _Barney_? You think I hooked up with _Barney_? Jesus Ted, why would you-? How could you-? Jesus!"

Ted shook his head as Robin retreated for the bathroom, realizing how off base he was.

It was just... he guessed he still couldn't give up on the idea that Barney and Robin were still kind of perfect for each other. It was just all the other crap that got in the way. No matter what, Ted just had to believe that if you loved someone, you could find a way to make that person happy.

--

**Sunday**

"If you were really over him, then why is this such a big deal?" Ted asked Robin the next day, over brunch at the Popover Pantry. "It was just a slap. It should have been a beautiful, magical thing." He laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"I _am_ over him," Robin mumbled around her waffles.

"Sure, just like he's over you."

Robin looked up with a flicker of interest, which was quickly covered up by a glare. As glares go, it was a half-hearted one. About a half-Lily in strength.

"Dude, you've seen Barney. He's already writing a new playbook."

"He's miserable. You should have seen him after you left. He kept looking at the door. He was like one of those dogs in those Lifetime Special movies."

"Ted, shut up," Robin said, with an unreadable look.

"He kept playing with his iPhone, but I know he was trying to text you."

"He didn't text me."

"So you were thinking about him?"

Robin shook her head and stubbornly filled her mouth with bacon, managing to chew and glower at the same time.

"He's still in love with you," Ted persisted. "Lily thinks so too. And if you feel the same way...?"

Silence descended across the table until she finally swallowed. "Love isn't everything, Teddy boy," she said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "Now c'mon, let's get back home, break out the beer, and watch some excessive violence on TV?"

"Totally," Ted grinned. And they were half way home before he realized that Robin hadn't denied it.

Maybe there was hope for her and Barney after all?


End file.
